Bed tax may fund Newberry sports fields

A proposal to increase the county's tax on hotel lodging to raise money for a $5.5 million youth baseball/softball park in Newberry will likely be considered by the Alachua County Commission in July.

By Cindy SwirkoStaff writer

A proposal to increase the county's tax on hotel lodging to raise money for a $5.5 million youth baseball/softball park in Newberry will likely be considered by the Alachua County Commission in July.Commissioners were updated on the project Tuesday. The park would be owned by the city of Newberry but operated and maintained by Cooperstown Dreams Park, a private facility in Cooperstown, N.Y., that runs tournaments that draw thousands of players."It is a good chance to fill hotel rooms and restaurants and provide tax relief to the citizens," said county tourism Director Roland Loog. "It is kind of a perfect industry. It's a family industry - parents bring their kids."The idea was first floated to the commission a year ago. Loog said the economy and other factors have delayed it, but he added Tuesday that the project is on track.Dreams Park founder Lou Presutti said last year that he has to turn teams away from tournaments. The popularity of baseball and softball would ensure financial success at the local park, he added.Presutti said his park is a hit because it's family-friendly - it doesn't charge parents to watch their children play and food prices are reasonable. The tournaments have opening and closing ceremonies, and all players receive rings.That model would be used at the Newberry park. When tournaments are not held, it could be used by local teams and programs.Envisioned are 16 fields on up to 50 acres.Newberry Recreation Director Richard Blalock, who is friends with Presutti, said Tuesday that the site is off U.S. 27/41 north of downtown."Their main emphasis is to develop a spring training facility for youth baseball. Their thought is they will bring in all these teams from the Midwest and north during their spring break period, which is March and April, and run four or five solid weeks. Then they would develop a Thanksgiving event and a Christmas event," Blalock said. "Any other time we would work with their staff to put on local league play in or bring in some other outside events."

The county currently charges a 3 percent tax on lodging such as hotels and inns. The commission will likely be asked to increase it to 4 percent to raise money for construction of the park. Officials said the extra tax will raise about $700,000 a year.The tax will be used to back bonds so that the facility can be built relatively quickly.Infrastructure costs such as water and sewer will be covered by Newberry and eventually recouped as the area around the park develops.Loog said the Newberry City Commission is expected to consider the plan on June 8. The county's Tourist Development Council is expected to consider it June 17 and make a recommendation to the commission. The County Commission is expected to get a full presentation on July 14.At that point, commissioners can then vote to begin the process of increasing the bed tax.Commissioner Lee Pinkoson on Tuesday expressed support for the project."It sounds like a real positive thing. It must make some sense financially if the tourist development [department] is strongly considering it," Pinkoson said.